A security method for in-flight entertainment device (IFED) rentals having self-contained audiovisual presentations is disclosed. A self-contained IFED has internal storage configured to contain current releases of movies and other audiovisual presentations. The method provides layers of security including a unique bit stream encoding format, watermarking, camera artifacts, file encryption, hard drive encryption, input-output encryption, physically unique connectors, and a tamper-resistant casing for the self-contained IFEDs.